Suter Seminar: Forensic Application of Optical Correction

Randall Collins, OD
Assistant Professor
University of the Incarnate Word
Rosenberg School of Optometry
San Antonio, Tex.

For decades optical correction has been used in forensic science when eyeglasses have been found as evidence in forensic investigations. However, even though an eyeglass prescription is a complicated set of numbers, their value as forensic evidence was limited to a â€œmatch vs. no-matchâ€ judgment. Legal precedence now requires quantifiable, scientific statements if such evidence it to be used in a court of law. Research into the biostatistics of a spectacle prescription led to the creation of a web-based calculator that allows forensic investigators to determine the strength of the match when those spectacles are part of an investigation.

Dr. Collins is a native of Southern Oregon and a graduate of the Interamerican University School of Optometry. He retired from the US Air Force after 23 years of service and joined the faculty of the Rosenberg School of Optometry in 2010 as the lead instructor of the contact lens courses and Chief of the Contact Lens Services. Highlights from his career include selection as Air Force Optometrist of the Year and finalist in the Berry Prize, as national-level award recognizing outstanding contribution to medicine emanating from federal services.